Wire fence



(No Model') s. H. GREGG.

WIRE FENCE.

Patented-Nov. 18, I890.

INVENTOH: AYHG/ B) A TTOHNE Y8 THE Mmms Finns co., moYo-umo., \vmnwawn. D- c.

NITED STATES ATENT rrrcn.

SAMUEL H. GREGG, OF CRAWVFORDSVILLE, INDIANA.

WIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,003, dated November 18, 1890.

Application filed March 21, 1890. Serial No. 344,813. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL H. GREGG, residing at Crawfordsville, in the county of Montgomery and State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved ire Fence, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in wire fences, seeking to combine in one fence some of the advantages of both a barbed and a smooth wire fence, and at the same time to avoid the objectionable features of both such fences.

The invention consists in certain novel constructions and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a panel of fence constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view of one of the fence-strands. Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the stays, and Fig. at is a detail View showing the connection between the stay and the fence-strands.

The great objections to barbed fences-such as their liability to tear the hides of animals and the clothing of persons coming in contact with them, and the difficulty experienced in climbing such fences-are too well known to need to be enlarged upon. At the same time the disadvantages of the unbarbed wire-such as the diificulty of seeing the same and the troubles resulting from expansion and contraction under heat and cold-render the use of the plain straight wire impracticable. The cost of the barbed wire is also worthy of consideration.

By my invention I seek to provide a fence of unbarbed wire which will be of much less cost than the. barbed wire, free of the objections incident thereto, andwhich can freely expand and contract with the variations of temperature. I also seek to provide a novel construction of wire stay for fences, so that such wire stay may be easily applied to the fence-strand without any deflection of such strands from theirnormal positions.

Referring to the drawings, the fencestrands A are extended between the posts B, and are secured thereto in the manner more fully de scribed hereinafter, and the stays O are extended between and secured to the several strands A, such stays being usually arranged about five feet apart. Now, to enable the strands A to expand and contract, I make such strands of unannealed steel wire, preferably spring-steel, and crimp it so it may expand and contract. By making the strands of unannealed steel wire :such wire is sufficiently soft to be crimped, and yet is so resilient that when crimped the crimps, when drawn out in the contraction of the wire between two posts, will not stay straightened out, but will when the strand again expands resume their crimped form. Now, as is well known, the unbarbed Wire is the cheapest least obj ectionable fence-strand that can be used, but its use heretofore has been impracticable for the reasons stated; but by crimping the wire itis made more visible to animals in the field, and is adapted to properly expand and contract. At the same time the strands so formed will not inj are the animals in the field if they come in contact with the fence, will not tear the clothing of persons walking alongside the fence, and will permit a person to climb over the fence without injuring himself or his clothing.

While the strand may be crimped in any suitable form without departing from some of the broad principles of my invention, I prefer the form of crimp shown in detail in Fig. 2, in which the strandAis formed with short straight lengths a, which connect bent portions or crimps a ta the crimps a being all projected to one side of the line of the strand and the crimps a to the opposite side; or, in other words, the strand is formed with straight portions and criinps connected thereby, the

alternate crimps being projected to the same side of the line of the strand and the adjacent crimps to the opposite sides of such strand. By this particular formation of the strand the expansion and contraction thereof are borne on opposite sides of its length, and by the use of straight and crimped portions a shorter wire will form a strand of a given length than if the crimps were joined directly one to the other. The crimping of the strands also serves to hold the stays or stay-wires from movement along the strands of the fence, as will be understood from what follows: These stays O are formed of wire out in lengths to suit the height of the fence on which they are to be used and are formed prior to their application to the fence-strands with loops 0' to encircle the strands, such loops being formed, as stated, before the application of the stays to the strands, and thus serving as gages in the application of the stays to the fence-strands, and also facilitating the application of the stays to the fence-strand. I form the stays with the loops 0' open-that is to say, with a space at 0 between thelapped portions of the ring, so that the stay may be slipped up on or drawn over the fence-strand to adjust the samepartially into the loop 0', and may complete the entry of the strand into such loop by bending the free end of the stay under or over the strand accordingly as the stay is being adjusted up from the bottom or down from the top of the fence and then giving such free end a half-turn, when the stay will be caused to encircle the strand, as will be understood from Fig. 4. It will be seen that the loops thus form gages for the application of the stay to the fence-strands, so that the latter may be secured proper distances apart, and that by previously bending the loops in the stays the application thereof to the fence-strands is greatly facilitated, as the proper bends being already in the stays I avoid the necessity of forming such bends at the time the stays are applied to the strands when the formation of such bends around each strand would be impeded and interfered with by the other strands. The wire loops being bent around the strands, and the latter being crimped, as describedfit will be understood thatthe movement of the stays along the strands will be prevented, so that the stays will be retained in proper place and relation to support and stay the strands the desired distance apart, and by leaving the loops loose on the strands the stays may be easily removed from the fence when desired.

The intermediate posts B are formed with channels I), and are anchored in the ground by the construction most clearly shown in Fig. 1, in which the posts are deflected at b at about the surface of the ground, and ex tend thence into the ground at an angle. A base-piece B extends horizontally from the lower end of the deflected portion, and the free end of this base portion B'is connected by a rod B with the post at about the surface of the ground, the whole of such construction sufficing to firmly anchor the post in the ground.

To secure the wires to the posts, I provide thimbles 13, consisting of plates bent into U shape, adapted to fit lengthwise between the flanges b of the post and to project laterally beyond such flanges, which are made sufficiently long to permit the strands to play freely through them, thus permitting the strands to be tightened, such thimbles being secured by staples B, passed around the thimble, driven through the post, and clinched. This construction is simple, properly supports the strands, and enables the same to be tightened, as may be desired.

As will be seen from the drawings, Fig. 1, the stays are secured to anchor posts or plates driven deep in the ground. These posts or plates are particularly useful in depressions or low points in the line of the fence, as they hold the fence down to the ground. They also serve as efficient lightning-conductors, as will be readily understood.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As an improved article of manufacture, a stay for wire fences, which as a completed article prior to its application to the fencestrands is formed with loops 0', having openings 0 within which the fence-strands may be received in the application of the stays to the said strands,t-he loops so formed being adapted to serve the double purpose of gages for the application of the stays to fences, and to facilitate such application of the stays by avoiding the necessity of forming such loops at the time the stays are applied to the strands, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The improved fence herein described, consisting of the strands formed of crimped wires and the wire stays formed with open loops and applied to the strands with the loops therearound, as described, whereby the stays are held to the strands, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, in a fence, of the inter mediate post B, having flanges b the thimble B fitted lengthwise between the said flanges, whereby it is held thereby from longitudinal movement, the said thimble being arranged to project laterally beyond the said flanges, and means for securing the said thimble to the post, substantially as set forth.

SAMUEL II. GREGG. \Vitnesses:

P. B. TURPIN, FRED G. DIETERICH. 

